at home. >> if you don't raise the debt ceiling now, or if you postpone this confrontation, if you say every 60, 90, or 100 days, we're going to again have the same kind of conversation about the debt ceiling, you will continue to have this sort of spike in policy uncertainty. you will continue to undermine the private sector. you will continue to delay investment and to reduce employment relative to what it would be otherwise. >> reporter: the debt ceiling extension would allow the treasury to pay the nation's bills through at least may 19. darren gersh, "n.b.r.," washington >> tom: the u.s. housing market had a quiet end to its best year since 2007. sales of existing homes fell unexpectedly in december by 1% down to a 4.94 million annual rate. analysts note the drop in sales is not entirely bad news because there were fewer homes on the market. inventories are at their lowest level in seven and a half years. sales were up in the northeast and western u.s. while they fell in the midwest and south. for the entire year, existing home sales saw their best year since 2007. >> tom: julia c